The Remnant Squad
by Red Justice
Summary: Most of the Avengers are abducted or killed, leaving the remaining six members to figure out what's going on. Members from the current Avengers and Secret Avengers teams are featured. Please give it a try!
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I own none of the characters in this story. All rights belong to Marvel, etc. Not my best work, but wait until the next chapter. Things get better, I promise! Hope you enjoy!**

**The Remnant Squad: Prologue**

March 20, 2012. It all started on March 20, 2012.

It was a fairly peaceful day at Avengers Mansion. The "main" Avengers team, the one that was led by Captain America, was out on a mission, leaving Luke Cage's team, the New Avengers, alone in the Mansion.

Of course, peaceful wasn't exactly complete where the Avengers were involved. All suffering from a bad case of boredom, the team decided to spend their time training against each other.

They split into two groups: Thing, Mockingbird, Wolverine, and Doctor Strange formed the red team, while Luke Cage, Spider-Man, Ms. Marvel, Iron Fist, and Daredevil formed the blue team.

"Oh, come on now," Spider-Man said. "They got Wolverine and Doc Strange! That's enough scariness to take down anyone!"

"Put a sock in it, web head," Wolverine growled. "We're here to train, not talk!"

"Geez, who put web in that guy's cereal?" Spidey asked. "Oh, wait. I did."

Having heard enough pre-battle talk, Thing charged. "It's Clobberin' Time!"

With that, the battle began. Spidey and Daredevil teamed up against Thing, Luke Cage took Wolverine, Iron fist faced off against Mockingbird, and Ms. Marvel launched an attack against Doctor Strange.

The fight went on for at least an hour, neither side really gaining the advantage. The fact that everyone knew how everyone else fought made a victory that much harder. Neck in neck, both sides fought like they were in a real battle, to no avail.

Eventually, Luke Cage called an end to the match. "All right, it doesn't seem like any of us are going to win this. Why don't we call it a day?"

The rest of the group agreed, and heading to their rooms to get some much-needed sleep.

For Doctor Stephen Strange, though, sleep was not an escape as much as a torture room.

"Stephen!" A voice shouted, breaking through his normally-dreamless sleep.

"Who...?" The Doctor began.

Immediately, an image of his friend, Reed Richards, appeared. His costume was torn and shredded, and his face was a mass of bruises and cuts.

"Reed?" Strange began. "What happened to you?"

"It's what we always feared, Stephen," Reed regasping pausing to gasp in pain. "He's back. Just like they said he would be."

"He? Reed, who are you talking about?"

"You know who he is," Reed said. "Warn the others, all of them. The Avengers, the X-Men... Call the Defenders, if you have to. We can't let it happen again."

Before Dr. Strange could reply, the dream faded, and he was awoken by the sound of screams.

Jumping out of bed, he teleported to the source of the disruption. What he saw made his mouth drop open in horror.

The Mansion was in flames. The New Avengers all lay sprawled unconscious on the ground, all severely wounded. The only one of them who was still moving was Wolverine, who was suffering from third-degree burns and several deep cuts. He crawled towards the Doctor slowly, groaning in agony.

And in the middle of it all was a man, covered in shadows. The only thing you could make out about him was that he was wearing a long cape, which flapped around in the wind. He seemed to radiate pure power, dark and tainted.

"Hello, Stephen," The man said. "I heard you've been hearing things about me. We can't have that."

Rushing up to the doctor, the man grabbed him by the throat, choking him. As he black out, Stephen thought he saw something of the man's face.

_No, _he thought. _It can't be. He's dead._

Those were the last thoughts to enter his mind.

**Sorry it's so short, but it's just a prologue. Things should get longer when I get into the actual story. It might seems like a pain, but please review. It would mean a lot. Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 1

**And I'm back! Yes, I know my prologue was badly written, but this one is (hopefully) better!**

**Oh, and for those who don't know, the current Main Avengers line up is:**

**Captain America, A.K.A Steve Rogers**

**Iron Man, A.K.A Tony Stark**

**Hawkeye, A.K.A Clint Barton**

**Spider-Woman, A.K.A Jessica Drew**

**The Protector, A.K.A Noh-Varr**

**Red Hulk (my favourite!) A.K.A. Thadeus "Thunderbolt" Ross**

**The Vision**

**Storm, A.K.A. Ororo Munroe (maiden last name)**

**And Quake, A.K.A Daisy Johnson, which I was just informed of by one Spidey Legend. Thanks!**

**If you want to know more about the characters, you can look them up.**

The Remnant Squad: Chapter 1

"Luke Cage's Avengers are down,"

It was Iron Man who had spoke, which did nothing to ease the Red Hulk's temper.

The Avengers were standing inside of a Hydra base they had just shut down. It hadn't been a pleasant experience.

The place was up in flames, with cracked windows, smashed-down walls, and red alarm lights going off everywhere. Hundreds of Hydra agents were lying around, badly hurt and unconscious.

The Avengers themselves weren't in very good shape, either. Iron Man's armour was spitting out sparks, making the others avoid him, Hawkeye's bow was broken, Captain America could barely walk, and the others were all equally injured. The Red Hulk himself was still sore from withstanding so many hits from some Hydra Hulks left over from Norman Osborn's recent attack on the Avengers.

But right now, everyone was focusing on Iron Man, and his news. "What?" Captain America asked. "Who took them down?"

"We don't know," Iron man replied grimly, his helmet sliding away to show his face. "We received an emergency alert from the Mansion an hour ago, and now we're not receiving anything. The Media is reporting that Avengers Mansion has been destroyed, and that the New Avengers are nowhere to be seen."

"We've got to go, then," Captain America said. Trying to walk, he grimaced upon taking his first step, and was forced to lean against the nearest wall.

"Whoa there, Cap," Hawkeye said. "You're not going anywhere. We're gonna call the Quinjet to come pick you up, but in the meanwhile, you're staying here."

Cap tried to protest, but all he could manage was a groan. "I... I guess you're right."

"Good," Hawkeye said. "I'll stay with you, seeing as I can't fly."

"Stay safe, you two," Iron Man said, taking to the skies. "Come on Avengers, let's go."

Those of them who could fly (Iron Man, Vision, Spider-Woman, Storm, and Protector) took off, heading towards the mountain, leaging Quake and Red Hulk alone with Cap and Hawkeye.

"Could I hitch a ride?" Quake asked casually.

Shrugging, Red Hulk picked her up, and jumped straight out of the base, landing right next to Avengers Mansion. His impact shook the ground, startling the nearby reporters and cameramen.

"And Avengers Quake and Hulk have arrived at the scene!" The nearest reporter said into her microphone. "Can either of you confirm reports that the New Avengers have disapeared?"

All it took was 5 seconds of enduring Rulk's death stare to make the reporter realize that these were _not _the right people to ask. "Um, right," She managed, backing away slowly.

Trying to hide an amused smile, Rulk brushed past the other reporters, Quake at his side. When he saw the Mansion though, all thoughts of smiling vanished.

"Oh my God..." Quake murmured. "It's like some kind of nightmare."

The Red Hulk couldn't help but agree, at least silently. It was a disaster. The mansion was leveled, with almost none of it still standing. What remained was chipped and scorched, barely resembling its former glory. It was hard to believe that this had been a symbol of hope and inspiration only the day before.

Rulk was pulled out of his observations by the sound of metal clinking on the ground. Turning around, he saw Iron Man and the other Avengers making their way through the crowd.

"No..." Iron Man said, walking up to the Mansion slowly. "It's like the Scarlet Witch attack all over again." Pressing the side of his helmet, he resumed talking. "Steve, it's me. The Mansion is completely destroyed. I've already done environment scans, and there's no sign of the New Avengers. I'm thinking we'll need to access..." Suddenly, he stopped. "Steve, you there? Is everything okay? Answer me!"

"What's going on?" Red Hulk asked. "Is Rogers all right?"

"No," Iron Man said. "He's not. I've lost his signal. Hawkeye isn't answering, either. Someone needs to get down there, now."

"I'll go," The Vision volunteered.

"Great." Iron Man replied. "Big Red, Quake, Noh-Varr, you go with him. The rest of us will remain here, to check the situation out. That good?"

They all nodded.

"Then go!"

Calling in the Quinjet, which had miraculously survived the fall of the Mansion, the four of them got in and took off, watching the scene below them fade away.

They all sat in silence as they flew, not being the most social of heroes. Frankly, Red Hulk doubted how effective this team would be. None of them really knew each other that well, which would make it hard to work together. It didn't help that the only one of them that he trusted was The Protector. Anyone who had the guts to shoot the Banner Hulk was all right in his book.

Interestingly enough, this team reminded Rulk of his team-up with Venom, Ghost Rider, and X-23 back in Vegas a month or so ago. He hadn't trusted those guys either, but they got the job done, eventually. With any luck, this team would work just as well, even if they were just going on a check-in mission.

"What if we find whatever took down the New Avengers?" Quake asked, breaking the silence.

"Then we kill it, report back, and our mission is over." Protector said, examining one of his devices.

When Quake looked at him strangely, he looked over to her. "What? Is that not human custom?"

For the second time that day, Red Hulk hid a smile. Maybe this mission wasn't going to be so bad, after all.

**So there you have it! Not that much longer, I know, but I'm trying. Please review! Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 2

**And here's the next chapter! Sorry I didn't update for a few days, it's just... Well, life. It gets in the way sometimes. Anyhow, today's focus is the Secret Avengers, with a lineup of:**

**Hawkeye: Clint Barton**

**Black Widow: Natasha Romanoff**

**Beast: Hank McCoy**

**Valkyrie**

**Ant Man: Eric O'Grady**

**Giant Man: Hank Pym**

**Captain Britain: Brian Braddock**

**The Human Torch (original, 1940s one): Jim Hammond**

**Venom: Flash Thompson**

**Enjoy! **

**The Remnant Squad: Chapter 2**

"Blast it!" Captain Britain exclaimed. "Where is he?"

The Secret Avengers were in the middle of a giant battle, and their leader, Hawkeye, was nowhere to be found.

The mission had started as a basic in and out. They had heard that the infamous Latverian monarch, Dr. Doom, was planning an attack on the United States, and had decided to infiltrate his castle to find out.

Which, in general, is a bad idea. One of the basic rules of the superhero world is that you don't get involved with Doom unless you've got twenty other superheroes with you. Unfortunately, Hawkeye had demanded that the mission go ahead.

The plan had been for Black Widow, Ant Man, and Venom to do the infiltration, as they were best suited for sneaking around unseen. Captain Britain, the Human Torch, Beast, and Valkyrie had stayed outside as backup, in case something went wrong. Hawkeye had been on buisness with the other Avengers team at the time, but he had promised to come as soon as he could.

For thirty minutes or so, the four heroes on backup sat in their quinjet in awkward silence, not quite sure what to say to each other.

"Well," Beast said, finally breaking the silence. "Looks like this one isn't going to be much trouble."

"Let's hope so," Captain Britian replied, cracking his knuckles. "We don't want to get into a fight with Doom."

"What's so bad about him?" The Human Torch asked. "I've heard a little bit about him from Cap, but I don't know much."

"That's right," Captain Britain said. "I keep on forgetting that you don't know much about today's villains. Let's just say that-"

Before he could finish, a scream came from the Avengers' comlinks.

"Get down here!" Black Widow commanded. "We've been found out! Ant Man's been seriously injured. We're in the courtyard!"

"We're on our way, Widow." Captain Britain said. Opening the Quinjet doors, he flew out, carrying Valkyrie and Beast down with him.

The Human Torch grimaced. He'd had a bad feeling about this mission, and he hadn't been wrong. Flaming on, he flew down to join the others.

As soon as he saw the scene in the courtyard, he knew this was going to be even worse than he had imagined.

The three infiltration agents were surrounded by a horde of robots, each of which looked exactly like Doom had in the pictures the Torch had seen. He'd heard of these things, too. Doombots, were they called?

The heroes were in pretty bad shape, too. Black Widow had several gashes and cuts; Venom's armour was all but gone; and Ant Man was lying in a pool of blood, unconscious.

"Let's go," Captain Britain said before swooping down to join the fight.

And that was how it had started. They fought long and hard, but things didn't improve. In fact, they got worse. Beast and Black Widow were both taken out in a few minutes, leaving the Torch, Captain Britain, Valkyrie, and Venom alone against an army.

"Blast it! Where is he?" Captain Britain flung five robots away as he yelled.

"Who, Hawkeye?" Venom asked, emptying his last round of ammunition on a few doombots as he did. "Why does it matter?"

"He's our leader!" The Captain replied. "He should be here!"

"Mortals!" Valkyrie bellowed. "Let us focus on the fight!"

"Yes," A voice rung out, causing all the robots to freeze. "I suggest you do that."

"You…" Captain Britain managed.

It was him: Doctor Doom. The Human Torch may have never seen him in person before, but he knew it was him. He carryed this dignity, even honour, to him, the like of which the Torch had never seen. But that was not all. There was a coldness, a sense of evil, as well. As if he would honour a promise to you, if he made one, but would stomp you into the ground afterwards. No wonder he was so feared.

"Now, what is this little ensemble of yours called, and what is its purpose here? Tell Doom or suffer pain worse than that you have ever known!"

"No, that's okay," Venom replied. "We were just leaving."

"I think not," Doom replied, pressing a button on his left gauntlet. "You will be staying here, until Doom gets his answers."

Suddenly, the mouths of the robots opened up, and smoke poured out, surrounding the Avengers. Immediately, they all doubled over and started coughing, with the exception of the Torch.

"Gas…" Venom managed before he fell to the ground, unconscious. Within a few seconds, the others had followed suit, leaving the Torch standing in the courtyard, alone.

"You are not affected by the gas?" Doom asked. "Most curious… You most certainly are not the Torch that I am used to facing. Very well."

He pointed his fingers, and before the Torch could react, shot him down with laser blasts. Crumpling to his knees, the Torch struggled to hang on to consciousness, to no avail. Doom had won.

**Okay, so this one was a little shorter than the last one, I'm sorry. And it might not seem to fit the plot right now, but hang in there. It'll all come together. Please review!**


	4. Chapter 3

**And we're back with the lineup from chapter 1! This one leads to some big things to come. Oh, and in case anyone gets confused, Noh-Varr and The Protector are the same person, just under different names. Don't ask me why Aliens need secret identities. Hope you like this chapter!**

**The Remnant Squad: Chapter 3**

"We've arrived,"

Vision's words shook Noh-Varr out of his pondering. He had been on this team longer than some of the others, but he was still unused to working with them. The complexity of the human culture wasn't helping with things, either.

But these three, they seemed kind of different. The Vision seemed to be as distant from human culture as he, Red Hulk was far more simple than most others, focusing on the mission and not bothering to utilise sarcasm and those other confusing communication devices, and Quake… Well, he knew nothing of her yet.

Suddenly, the Quinjet landed, the motion slightly shaking the Avengers.

"I'll go first," Red Hulk volunteered. "I can take the most punishment."

No one objected. Red Hulk stepped out of the Quinjet, followed by Vision, then Noh-Varr, and then Quake.

At first, everything seemed fine. The Hydra base looked exactly the same as before: same destroyed walls, same fires, same hole in the wall. The only thing amiss was the lack of Captain America and Hawkeye.

"Captain?" Noh-Varr called out. "Hawkeye?"

No response. The four Avengers looked at each other for a second, unsure of what to do.

Eventually, Vision took the initiative. "We should split up. I'll take-"

"No," Red Hulk cut him off. "The last thing we want to do in a situation like this is to split up. It's obvious that someone's targeting Avengers. First Luke Cage's bunch, and now Rogers and the archer. Whoever's doing it will be after us next. We split up, they'll be able to take us out one by one. We're not going to make it that easy for them. We stick together."

"As you wish," Vision said emotionlessly. "Where would you like to begin?"

"I'd say straight ahead would be a good starting point," Quake said. "If you three don't have a better idea?"

The three all shook their heads.

"Great. Let's go then."

They headed through the hall facing them, Rulk and Quake walking, Vision floating, and Protector climbing the ceiling.

"I didn't know you could do that," Red Hulk said, regarding him with interest.

"Cockroach DNA," Noh-Varr replied. "It allows me to do a great deal of things."

"Huh." Red Hulk said.

"You are not alarmed?" The Protector asked. "Most of your kind are."

"Hey, I'm a Hulk," Rulk replied. "I'm not going to judge."

"You are more logical than many others," Vision noticed. "Not something I would expect from one with your look. I'm sure that is very advantageous while you are in combat."

"It can be," Red Hulk admitted. "Not many people think a Hulk is going to outwit them."

"So, wait…" Quake started. "You're not some version of the Banner Hulk, are you?"

Rulk chuckled quietly. "Not at all. Trust me, I'm pretty much the opposite."

Before the conversation could continue, a loud groaning noise rung out from the end of the hallway.

Immediately, the Avengers stopped and looked at each other. They had found someone.

"Let's go," Quake said.

They rushed down the hall, going as fast as they could. Once they reached the source of the noise, they were overcome with shock.

It was Hawkeye, in even worse shape than he had been before. His face was swollen and red, host to far too many bruises, cuts and gashes to count. His right arm was bent in a way that Noh-Varr was fairly sure was not normal, or healthy, and his bow was nowhere to be found. He was lying on the floor, clutching his side. His eyes glazed over them, and Noh-Varr wondered if he knew that they were there.

"Hawkeye!" Quake exclaimed. "What happened to you?"

The archer tried to reply, but could only cough out blood onto the floor.

"He requires immediate medical attention," Vision said, lifting him gently. "We must move him to a hospital."

They agreed that Vision and Quake should take Hawkeye on the Quinjet, while Noh-Varr and Rulk should stay around to check for Cap.

Watching as Hawkeye was carried away, Noh-Varr turned his head towards his companion.

"Who do you think is behind all of this?" He asked.

"Hard to say," The Hulk replied. "Could be anyone, really. An old Avengers enemy, a newbie with a ton of power looking to make his mark, it could even be an Avenger gone evil."

"You mean like the Scarlet Witch?" Noh-Varr asked. "I read of her in the Avengers' files."

"Yeah, it could be her," Rulk answered. "Or Wonder Man, Sentry, or even Norman Osborn again. You never know."

"I hope it's not Osborn," The Protector confessed. "I've had more than enough experiences with that man."

"I just know that if he gets out again, I'm going to end his threat for good." Red Hulk said, turning back to the base. "Come on, let's search for Rogers."

They searched for hours, down every hallway, in every hiding spot, until they were forced to come to a depressing conclusion.

"He's not here," Noh-Varr said. "What does this mean?"

"Well," Red Hulk began. "It means he's either A, captured or B,disintegrated. Let's hope it's the first one."

The two of them headed back outside, and waited for the Quinjet to come pick them up. After a few minutes, it swooped down from the clouds, landed, and opened its main door.

"I presume you have not found him?" Vision asked, standing in the doorway.

"We checked the entire place," Red Hulk replied as he and Noh-Varr entered the vehicle. "He wasn't anywhere to be found."

"We've got to tell the others about this," Quake said, preparing the Quinjet for takeoff.

"I'll call them," Noh-Varr stated, clicking on his Avengers comlink. "Mr. Stark, we have found Hawkeye. He is badly injured, and we have moved him to a hospital. There was no sign of Captain America anywhere. We are unsure of their assailant's identity"

"All right," Iron Man replied. "Good work. And listen, I probably shouldn't tell you about this, but Steve formed another team of Avengers, a while back. I think we're going to need their help now."

"Understood. Who are they?"

"He called them the Secret Avengers. They're led by Hawkeye now, and they've got just the kind of firepower we need. There's only one problem…"

"Yes?" Noh-Varr asked.

"They're in Latveria. And we lost their signal an hour ago."

**And there you have it! The story lines are coming together already! See, I told you it would all make sense in the next chapter. Anyways, please review. Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 4

**I was getting bored, so I decided to write another chapter! Here you go!**

**The Remnant Squad: Chapter 4**

Venom's dreams were distraught. At first, they were of his family, and of his "normal" life. His father, the alchoholic, who is now dead. His own struggles with alcholism. Even his physical disability, the loss of his legs, which had led to all this.

Quickly, the focus of his dreams turned to his life as a "superhero": his struggles against Kraven, Crime Master, the horror of Spider-Island, and his adventures in Las Vegas with those others: X-23, Ghost Rider, and the Red Hulk. Then there were his non-physical struggles: how he had strived to prove to the other "Secret Avengers" that he was more than just a new host for a monster. His frustration at the fact that they wouldn't trust him.

Finally, he dreamed of things that made him fear for his sanity: of him, rampaging around the city, with no control of his actions. Throwing around cars, tearing apart buildings, threatening to eat people, and always for one reason, because of one name: Spider-Man.

"Awaken, monster," The words broke into his dream, as did the blast of fire that followed.

"Arrgh!" Venom screamed and thrashed, now fully awake. Where was he? Why was this happening?

"Good, you still live," A voice, metallic and cold, but with a hint of pride and honour, called.

He opened his eyes, and found himself tied to a metal slab, with flamethrowers flanking him. Looking ahead, he saw Dr. Doom, who was observing him from behind a glass cover. That was right. He was in Latveria, with the Secret Avengers, and Doom had taken them out with gas.

"What do you want... Doom?" Venom managed.

"I told you already. I want to know the name of the group you came with, and why you are here, in my land."

"Not... Gonna happen."

"Very well. Guards, activate the flamethrowers again. Oh, and leave them on this time." Doom waved his cape as he turned, striding out of Venom's field of vision.

Venom cursed as his body was engulfed in flames, and his vision threatened to go black. He almost encouraged it to. He had enough pain in his life. But then an idea occurred to him: something Doom had said..._ Guards_. There were guards manning these flamethrowers. And guards could be controlled.

As quick as he could, Venom detached two, small parts of his symbiote, ones large enough to cover a man's head. He directed them to go, to search for the guards. Once they found them, Venom made the parts attach themselves to the mens' heads, taking them over.

_Quickly, _he told them. _I can't hold out much longer._

The pieces obeyed, and increased the speed of their takeover. In a few seconds, Venom had control over the only people between him and freedom.

Immediately, he made them shut down the flamethrowers. As soon as they did, he breathed a large sigh of relief. The pain was gone. Gathering his strength, he broke the bonds which tied him to the slab, and jumped down.

Looking around, he took in his surroundings in more detail. The walls were made of metal, like the rest of the room. Knowing Doom, it was probably Adamantium, or maybe Vibrainium. Of course, breaking down the walls wasn't a problem. Not when you've got total control over the people with the keys to the door.

_Make them open the door, _he directed. Quickly, the two men rushed from their positions by the flamethrowers, and opened the door. Walking between them, Venom removed the symbiote pieces from their faces. Before they could react to their situation, he knocked both the guards out with two punches to the face.

Grabbing their machine guns, he held one and slung the other over his back, and rushed out the door. Outside of his cell, he was greeted with the sight of four corridors, all leading in opposite directions. Cursing, he tried to figure out which one to take.

Before he could choose one, he heard a voice ring out from the corrclose behind him.

"Very well, Android. If you refuse to cooperate, then I will be forced to leave you here until you change your mind. Farewell."

Doom. Venom snuck down the corridor, but stopped in his tracks once he saw Doom marching in his direction.

Thinking fast, Venom ordered his symbiote to disguise him as one of Doom's guards. As the Doctor passed him, he saluted. "Lord Doom."

"Very good, guard." Doom said, continuing his march.

Grinning, Venom resumed his form as soon as Doom had left, and crept to the cell the Doctor had been visiting.

Fortunately, it's occupant, the Human Torch, was not undergoing torture as painful as Venom's, but it still looked bad. The Torch was completely submerged in water, from head to toe, as was his entire cell. He was probably unable to breathe, and was lashing around in vain.

Venom pulled back his fist, and brought it smashing into the glass cover. Immediately, the cover broke, a colossal wave of water came crashing down on Venom, knocking him over.

Sputtering, he struggled to his feet, and offered the Torch a hand up.

"Thanks," The android coughed. "How'd you get out?"

"Used my symbiote to control the guards," Venom answered. "Now, come on, let's find the others and get out of here."

"I wouldn't move at all if I were you," A voice from behind said.

Venom turned, and was greeted with of Doom, along with 50 guards, who were all pointing their guns at the heroes. "How'd you know?" Venom asked.

"Doom knows all," The Doctor replied. "I was hoping to get my information from one of you two, but I suppose the others can supply it just as well. Guards,to open fire!"

"Can you flame on?" Venom asked the Torch, who shook his head in reply.

"I'm still too wet," The Android answered.

"Then we haven't got a chance."

Just as Venom prepared to go down fighting, a giant, Red mass crashed down from the ceiling, shaking the whole building.

"Hey," The Red Hulk greeted. "Need any help?"

**And our two main teams have met up! Kind of... Please, please review! I will give you many fictional cookies!**


	6. Chapter 5

**And here's the next chapter, where things really start happening! This one's my longest so far (only by 100 words or so, but hey, I'll take what I can get), and I hope you like it! Also, I'd like to thank all of the people who have reviewed my story so far! Those kind of things make my day.  
>Well, enough from me, here's the exciting stuff! <strong>

**The Remnant Squad: Chapter 5**

It took the four Avengers three hours to fly to Latveria. Which, all things considered, was pretty good.

First, Red Hulk and Iron Man had had a heated argument about how many people should go on the mission. It wasn't pretty.

"It's strength in numbers!" Red Hulk pointed out. "This is Doom we're going against! We're going to need as many guys as we can get!"

"All we can spare right now is you four," Iron Man replied. "The rest of us need to stay here, to try to find the attacker."

"And what makes you think that Doom isn't the attacker?" Rulk asked. "He's got more than enough power to fit the job."

"The attacks don't fit his method," Iron Man countered. "If this was Doom, he would have broadcasted his attacks across the world, to prove how powerful he is."

"Maybe he's trying something new." Rulk said. "It's well known that he never tries the same tactic more than once."

"It's settled, Red." Iron Man said, beginning to take off. "You four are headed for Latveria, alone. You get the Secret Avengers, you get out of there. Do you understand me?"

Rulk simply nodded, and trudged off to the Quinjet, the others right behind him.

For the entire ride, The Vision was the only one who kept to himself, simply observing the others' conversation as he flew the Quinjet.

"Typical Stark, not knowing when to send in backup," Red Hulk complained. "If Rogers was still in charge, we wouldn't have this problem."

"The Captain does seem more suited for tactics than Stark," Noh-Varr noted. "However, he did have a point. We do need to keep our forces looking for our assailant."

"But if Doom's the assailant, we haven't got a chance," Quake stated.

"Which is why this mission is going to be a simple search and rescue," Red Hulk told them. "Vision flys down and finds them, I jump down to help him provide a distraction, and you two-" He pointed at Quake and Noh-Varr. "Grab the Avengers. Got it?"

They all nodded, which seemed to please Rulk. "Good."

The rest of the flight was carried out in silence. The Vision observed the surrounding area, preferring to find out how close they were to the mansion himself than to rely on the craft's computers.

When they came in sight of a large castle, mounted with green banners and sitting on top of a mountain, the andriod spoke up. "We have arrived at Castle Doomstadt."

"Nice name for a glorified torture chamber," Red Hulk said, standing and turning to Vision. "You ready to go?"

The Vision simply nodded in repsonse. Focusing his will, he changed his molecular structure so that he did not have enough density to come into contact with most matter, and floated down through the Quinjet floor.

Deciding that a direct route would be best, the andriod decided to float directly downwards, through the castle roof, and into a narrow corridor. The corridor, like the rest of the castle, was decorated with numerous green banners, all of which held host to the castle's ruler's likeness.

Unlike most superhumans, The Vision had no fear of Victor Von Doom. Certainly, he was a worthy and challenging adversary, but fearing him would do nothing to aid anyone. Instead, Vision respected him, and his various abilities, as dark and twisted as they were.

The sound of voices drew him out of his reflections. He turned to find their source, and saw rather the opposite of what he would have liked.

It looked like Venom and The Human Torch, two of the Secret Avengers that Stark had told them about, had managed to escape from Doom's custody. Unfortunately, they were currently surrounded by 50 guards, as well as Dr. Doom himself.

The two parties seemed to be in the middle of a conversation, as Vision caught Venom saying: "How'd you know?"

Before he could hear the monarch's reply, Vision activated his comlink, and said into it quietly: "I have found two of them, directly beneath you. They seem to be in a great amount of trouble."

"Understood," Red Hulk's voice came over the comlink.

Just as Doom's guards prepared to fire, Rulk came crashing down, landing on a few of them.

"What trickery is this?" Doom asked, pointing his hands at Red Hulk, probably preparing to fire at him.

"No trickery, Von Doom," Vision phased his hand through the Doctor's chest, short circuiting his armour. "Just planning."

Cursing, the monarch swiped at The Vision blindly, but his hand just went through the andriod, who fired at him with energy beams from his eyes in response.

The Red Hulk, meanwhile, was having a great time. Clapping his hands together, he sent ten of the guards flying into the walls. Tapping his comlink quickly, he talked as he fought: "Protector, Quake, get down here now!"

Turning back to his adversary, The Vision was caught off-guard by Doom's finger blast. He had been so caught up in the battle, he had forgotten to remain intangible.

Fortunately, the blast had not been at full power, so Vision was only staggered. "It think that's been more than enough of you, Doom," With that, the andriod unleashed a full power eye blast at the Doctor, shattering his armour and sending his circuits and wiring flying everywhere.

"Wait," Red Hulk said, having just finished with the guards. "It was just a Doombot?"

"It appears so," Vision answered, examining the robot's remaining pieces.

"Blast it," Rulk said, stomping angrily. "I thought we actually got him."

Suddenly, Quake's voice came over the comlink. "Guys? We've got Venom and The Human Torch in the Quinjet with us, but the computers are going crazy. There's something coming, and whatever it is, we don't want to get into a fight with it."

"Okay, Quake," Red Hulk replied. "What's the ETA?"

"One minute."

Rulk cursed. "There's no way we can even find another one of the Secret Avengers in that time. Vision, we've got to go."

"Are you certain we can not defeat this threat?" Vision asked Quake.

"Postive," She replied. "The power readings are off the charts. Listen to Red. You need to get out of there, _now._"

Immediately, Red Hulk grabbed Vision, and jumped them up into the Quinjet, which was waiting right above the castle.

"We're in," He told Quake. "Now get us out of here!"

She nodded, and the vehicle rushed away from the castle as fast as possible.

It was a good thing, too. Looking back at the castle as they flew, Vision saw a blurred figure fly into the main tower, which quickly errupted in a blast of light, causing the entire place to crumble and fall.

"What kind of thing can do something like that?" Noh-Varr asked.

"I don't know," Red Hulk replied. "But I think we just saw our enemy at work."

**And there you go! Looks like Doom's not behind everything, after all. Or maybe he is? Who do you guys think is behind it all? I'm interested in your opinions! Please review (again)!**


	7. Chapter 6

**And another chapter! This one is divided into two different parts, one in Venom's, and one in the Torch's. Read away!**

**The Remnant Squad: Chapter 6**

**Venom's POV**

"What do you mean you couldn't get the others?" Venom asked.

It hadn't taken him long to realize that they were leaving Latveria without his teammates, and he wasn't happy about it.

"We had less than a minute to get out of the castle before that… thing arrived." Red Hulk said, perfectly calm. "There was no way we could have got any of your teammates out in time. Sorry, kid."

"You could have stayed and fought!" Venom objected. "What made you think you couldn't have beaten whatever was coming?"

"Did you see what happened to the castle after we left?" Red Hulk asked. "Vision and I wouldn't have had a chance against that. Not alone. Look, I was under pressure, in a bad situation, and I made a decision. If I hadn't made it, you would have had two less Avengers on your side."

"Venom," The Human Torch said, placing a hand oh Venom's shoulder. "The Hulk's got a point. We need as many people on our side as we can get, based on what I just saw. And we don't know if the others are actually dead, or if they've just been captured."

Turning, Venom pushed The Torch's hand off his shoulder, and headed to the back of the Quinjet. "Yeah, sure."

He was kind of disappointed to find that he was not alone in the back. Sitting in the corner, Noh-Varr was fidgeting with the head of the Doombot that the Vision had destroyed. He didn't seem to notice that he had company until Venom cleared his throat.

"Oh, hello," The Protcetor greeted, not turning from the head. "You are Venom, correct?"

"Yeah, that's me." Venom replied. "You think I'm a villain too?"

"Not at all," Noh-Varr answered. "I did serve with another Venom, back when I was a member of Norman Osborn's Avengers, but you do not seem to be the same one." He regarded Venom for a second, then turned back to the head. "You are not, are you?"

"No, that wasn't me," Venom said. "I'm the new guy."

"Good. I have no wish to relive those days in any way." Frowning, he pulled off the face part of the Doombot's head. "I presume you are feeling some degree of loss over the fate of your teammates?"

_Great, _Venom thought. _I'm discussing my feelings with an alien. _"Uh, yeah," He said, rubbing the back of his head. "A bit."

"Don't," The Protector instructed. "They are, in all probability, fine. From the evidence I have collected so far, this threat is not killing the Avengers, merely capturing them." He shrugged. "Then again, they could be capturing them and then killing them. Still, it could be worse."

"Really? How so?"

"You could be trapped on a strange planet which you have sworn to protect, with your friends long dead and no understanding of the ways of this planet."

"That would be pretty bad," Venom admitted.

"I'm glad we're agreed," Noh-Varr said. "Now, if I may ask about that symbiote of yours…"

**Human Torch's POV**

As he watched Venom stomp over to the back of the Quinjet, The Human Torch shook his head sadly. Some people just can't work well with others.

"He is a bit rash, isn't he?"

Turning to face his adresser, The Torch found himself face to face with The Vision, who was regarding him with interest.

"Hello, Vision," The Torch greeted. "Been a while."

"Indeed it has, Jim Hammond," Vision replied. "I believe both of us have died and returned since last we met, correct?"

"I suppose so," Hammond said. "I agree with you about Venom, by the way. It might just be the symbiote, but he's got quite a temper."

"And you?" The Vision asked. "How are you handling the loss of your teammates?"

"I wouldn't call it a loss, exactly. Like I told Venom, we don't know if they're actually dead or not. Speaking of that, do you know where Hawkeye is? He was supposed to join us in Latveria."

"Hawkeye is the only person we know who has survived the attacker. He and Captain America were taken down four hours ago. Captain America is nowhere to be found, but Hawkeye is in the hospital in critical condition. He would have joined you if he could have."

"Wait… This attacker got Cap?" Human Torch asked, suddenly more worried.

"I'm afraid so." Vision answered.

"Who else did they get?"

"As far as we know, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, The Thing, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Doctor Strange, Ms. Marvel, Mockingbird, Daredevil, Captain America, Hawkeye, and your team have all been victims of the attacks."

"That many? And we still don't know who it is. Maybe you should call in the reserve members. You do still have those, right?"

"Yes we do," Vision confirmed. "In fact, I was thinking of calling them myself."

"Then do it! We need as much help as we can get!"

"Very well." The Vision tapped his comlink, and began to speak. "Calling all reserves-"

Before he could finish, the Quinjet began to shake violently, knocking the Avengers over. The shaking continued for several minutes, to the point where The Torch thought it would never cease.

Eventually, the shaking did stop, but things weren't any better once they did.

The Quinjet had stopped moving. Before the shaking had began, it was in flight, but now, all motion had ceased. Which meant they weren't falling either.

"What the…?" Red Hulk said, standing up slowly.

"Let's find out," The Human Torch replied, opening the door and poking his head out.

He was greeted with the sight of the strangest thing he had ever seen. The Quinjet was parked on a giant chessboard. As in, a chessboard the size of a small city. But of course, that wasn't all that awaited the Avengers.

The chessboard was occupied by two giant men, both of which were very unusual. The one to The Torch's left had blue skin, for starters. He towered above them at a height of at least ten stories, with white hair and yellow robes. An amused smile graced his face as he observed the shocked Torch.

The man on the right, on the other hand, looked much less impressive. He gave off the appearance of a strangley-dressed old man, albeit an incredibly large one, with his wrinkled, caucasian skin and hair as white as the other man's. His strange robes, which were brown and red, fluttered around in the wind, which was quite strong. Together, the two men made quite a sight.

"Hello, Avengers," The blue-skinned man boomed. "I am the Grandmaster, and my colleague is known as the Collector. We have a game for you to play. If I were you, I wouldn't object."

**Cliffhanger ending! Yes, I know, I'm evil. Please review!**


	8. Chapter 7

**Okay, I'm back. This one's really short, I'm sorry, but it sets the stage for some pretty big things! Hope you enjoy!**

**The Remnant Squad: Chapter 7**

The Red Hulk was _not _happy to step out of the Quinjet and see who was waiting for them. In fact, he was pretty angry about it.

"Didn't I kill you?" He asked, pointing at the Grandmaster.

The blue Elder of the Universe sighed in repsonse. "It should be obvious by now that death is but a distraction in this universe. Now, as to the game…"

"Wait," Noh-Varr said, turning to Rulk, a look of shock on his face. "This is the Grandmaster. A being of imense cosmic power, rivaled only by the other major cosmic powers of this Universe. And you claim to have killed him?"

Red Hulk shrugged. "It was a while back, during Osborn's reign. These two -" He pointed at the two Elders. "- invited me to a game. Long story short, I won, they cheated me out of the victory prize. So, I showed them how I deal with people who try to cheat me."

"He did kill me," The Grandmaster confirmed grimly. "But as I said, death is nothing of great import. I am back, and I am prepared for a game."

"What sort of a game?" Vision asked, floating through the side of the Quinjet to join the conversation.

"Ah, the Vision," The Grandmaster observed. "Another perfect example of how little death matters. To answer your question, Avenger, the game is simple. You six must fight another six, who have been chosen by the Collector. The winners get to live, for the moment."

"For the moment?" The Vision continued. "What do you mean? What is the purpose of this game of yours? Are you the ones behind the attacks we have been falling under?"

"Quite the opposite," The Collector answered. "We want to put an end to the threat behind those attacks. And the Grandmaster seems to think we need you to do that."

"Where as the Collector thinks we should utilise a troop of heroes from other universes." The Grandmaster stated.

"And you want us to fight each other to prove who is worthy?" The Human Torch asked angrily. "Listen, I don't know who you people are, but I'm not going to let you push around like this. Our teammates are in danger as we speak!"

"Indeed they are," The Grandmaster agreed. "In fact, the last two Avengers have just been eliminated. Meaning the threat will turn its attention to other forces now: The Fantastic Four, The X-Men, and so on, until it has conquered the Earth. And then it will turn to adversaries of a more… Cosmic nature."

"Meaning you," The Red Hulk guessed. "And you want us to stop this threat before it gets to you."

"That is our goal, yes."

"Great," Quake spoke up. "Could you at least explain to us what this threat is, and why it's doing what it's doing?"

The Collector shook his head sadly. "We don't know the answer to that. Somehow, whoever this is, they are able to stop us from viewing them. All we know is that they are have power to rival ours, and that they are out for blood."

"They're that powerful, and you think we can stop them?" The Red Hulk asked.

"You have to try," The Grandmaster replied. "Or we will all die. Now, let us get to the game. As we told you, you would not do well to refuse."

He waved his hand, and the chessboard melted away, only to be replaced by a large arena, made of stone. Red banners lined the building, fluttering around in the wind, which was still present in this new environment. The sky overhead was mostly black, with a splotch of dark red, as if the darkness was bleeding. At the opposite end of the arena stood a large, metal wall. Beside the wall stood the Collector.

"Prepare to meet your competition, Avengers." The Collector announced.

Suddenly, the wall disappeared, and Red Hulk smiled. "I can live with fighting these guys."

"The rest of us sure can't," Venom replied, tensing up.

"Indeed," The Collector gloated. "For you must come to face the combined power of-"

**There you go! You didn't think I'd reveal the enemy team this soon, did you? Heck, I haven't even figured out who they'll all be! If you have any suggestions, feel free to leave them in a review!**


	9. Chapter 8

**And here you have it, the next chapter! Finally, the Avengers versus the mystery team! Enjoy!**

**The Remnant Squad: Chapter 8**

"Welcome to the game!" The Grandmaster called out. "Both teams should be aware of their opponents, and to that end…"

"My champions," The Collector boomed. "Are known as the Reality Strands. Gathered from six different universes, they stand ready to fight!"

"The first member of the team is The Maestro, hailing from Dystopia!"

The ancient figure stepped forward, his muscles rippling. He had the look of a mutated old man, with his white hair and beard along with his green skin. His head was host to a strange, horned crown. He was huge, at the very least seven feet tall, and looked quite a bit like the Green Hulk. "Remember our deal, Collector!" He adressed the Elder of the Universe.

"Yes, yes, that will all be adressed when you win, Maestro. Now for the next hero: Namor, the Sub-Mariner, of Earth X!"

The Human Torch gasped upon seeing his old friend, albeit just a version of him from another universe. The left side of the Mariner's body was totally consumed by fire, and his right side was made of blue scales, with the exception of his face, which was the only normal part of his body. He didn't say a word, simply standing in grim silence.

"The Spider-Man of the year 2099!" The Collector continued.

Out of the shadows leapt a man in a strange blue costume with a red spider-like symbol on the chest that extended down his arms and to his hands. His mask also housed strange red marks. His hands appeared to have talons instead of normal fingers, and he crouched in a fighting position. He certainly looked nothing like the Spider-Man the Avengers were used to.

"An Iron Man from a paradise future!"

The Iron Man who appeared looked very much like their Iron Man had a few years ago: Pure red and gold armour with an extremely small mouth hole in a straight line and a circular yellow chestpiece. The only thing that was different about him was his voice: it seemed more robotic that usual, as if there was really no human inside the suit. "I'm not looking forward to fighting other heroes," The armoured Avenger said.

The Collector simply grunted, and moved on. "Aarkus, the Vision of Smokeworld!"

This Vision looked fairly similar to the Avengers' Vision, except his face was entirely green, as was the rest of his body, his cape was red instead of yellow, and he had no diamond symbol in the middle of his chest. The overall design, however, remained the same. He was floating, his feet not touching the ground, and his eyes seemed to stare right into the Avengers' souls.

"And finally, Magneto of the House of M!"

The master of magnatism stood in a mainly red costume with purple gloves, purple boots, and a purple belt. His helmet was mostly red as well, with purple lining closer to his face. He held himself with a regal bearing almost the same way that Doom did, except Magneto seemed less arrogant, somehow, and more caring.

"There, my forces have been introduced," The Collector said, turning to the Grandmaster. "Do you still think that your team stands a better chance?"

"I do, brother," The Grandmaster replied. "In fact, I believe this battle won't even be a contest."

"Is he crazy?" Venom whispered to the others. "Not that we can't handle ourselves, but these guys look serious!"

"I have already introduced my team to yours via telepathy, Collector," The Grandmaster stated. "So let the game begin!"

**Round 1: Venom vs. Spider-Man 2099**

"Our first contestants shall be Venom and Spider-Man!" The Grandmaster bellowed.

Immediately, Venom bared his teeth. He wasn't looking forward to this fight. Whoever this Spider-Man was, he looked a whole lot more deadly than the one Venom was used to.

Stepping forward, he readied one of the machine guns that he had kept from his encounter with Dr. Doom. If this really was a Spider-Man he was facing, guns weren't going to be that useful, but he had to try.

"Venom, huh?" Spider-Man asked, circling his opponent. "I've fought a Venom in my universe. He's a lot uglier than you are, I'll tell you that."

"Does your Venom use guns?" Venom asked, opening fire.

In response, Spider-Man jumped over the bullets, reached out a hand, shot a line of web at the gun, and tugged it out of Venom's hands. "Can't say he does."

"I figured you'd do something like that," Venom said. Clenching his hands into fists, he charged.

It turned out that this Spider-Man was good at close combat, too. He met Venom's every blow, and returned it full force. Sometimes he would simply strike Venom, and other times he slashed at him using his talons. None of Spider-Man's attacks left any serious marks on Venom (thanks to the Symbiote's protection), but they did hurt quite a bit. It was all he could do to keep his symbiote from completely taking over.

Eventually, Venom grew tired of his enemy's never-ending assault. Grabbing Spider-Man, he flung him into the side of the arena with all his might, and was rewarded with the sound of a definitely unhealthy crunch upon his opponent's impact.

"You're strong," Venom said, lifting Spider-Man off his feet. "But I'm stronger. Sorry, man."

With that, he brought his fist into Spider-Man's face, and the human arachnid's head slumped down with a quiet groan. Dropping Spider-Man to the ground, Venom walked back to the other Avengers.

"We have a victor!" The Grandmaster declared. "Venom has beaten Spider-Man! That's one point for my team, Collector."

"Bah, Spider-Man was the weakest of the lot." The Collector said bitterly. "The other fights will not have the same result."

**Round 1 has been completed, with more to go. For the record, the storylines that the Collector's team are from are:**

**Maestro: Future Imperfect, a Hulk storyline from the early 1990s.**

**Namor: Earth X, an alternate reality limited series that was followed up by Universe X and Paradise X.**

**Spider-Man: Spider-Man 2099 was the series he first starred in.**

**Iron Man: Fantastic Four: The End, a limited series about an alternate future where everything is almost perfect.**

**Aarkus/Vision: 1940s mainstream universe. He comes from Smokeworld, though, which is kind of an alternate universe.**

**Magneto: House of M.**

**Please review!**


	10. Chapter 9

**Next chapter! Sorry it took me a while, I've been a little busy recently. On a side note, I'd like to thank Wolvmbm for all of the reviews he's been giving me so far! Thanks a lot!**

**The Remnant Squad: Chapter 9**

**Round 2: Protector vs. Iron Man**

"Very well," The Collector said. "My next champion shall be Iron Man!"

With a nod, Iron Man activated his jet boots and flew to the middle of the arena.

"And I choose The Protector!" The Grandmaster announced.

"Very well," The Protecter said calmly, flying to meet his opponent. "You bare a resemblance to the Iron Man of my current universe, but you are not him, are you?"

"No," Iron Man replied. "I'm not. Where I come from, the majority of your team doesn't exist."

"Fascinating,"Noh-Varr observed. "The Collector said you come from a future universe? One that may come to pass?"

"Yes. Now do you have any more questions, or can we get this over with?"

"Well, actually-"

Before he could finish, Iron Man came barreling towards him at full speed, knocking him into the side of the arena. "I'm sorry, but this has to be done."

"I agree," Noh-Varr managed. Aiming his hands at the armoured Avenger, he unleashed a blast of pure energy.

The armour fell apart like a house of cards, clattering to the ground. "Curious," The Protector said, flying down to pick up a piece of armour. "The armour was empty."

"Yeah," A voice said from behind. "Sorry about that."

Suddenly, Noh-Varr was sent flying halfway across the arena by a blast almost as powerful as his own. "

Hitting the ground, Noh-Varr rolled over slowly to face his attacker. "A spare suit of armour. Not what I would expect in an arena."

Iron Man laughed quietly. "Not many people would." Pointing his right arm at The Protector, he launched a small missile at him.

Jumping to his feet, Noh-Varr activated his super speed, and dashed out of the missile's path. Pulling outlaser of his laser guns, he peppered Iron Man with blasts, running circles around him as he did. Strangely, his opponent just stood still, not making a move to defend himself.

After a few minutes, Noh-Varr stopped his assault, standing still. Iron Man still didn't move. Holding his guns to his opponent's head, The Protector said: "Now it is my turn to be sorry."

Turning in the other direction, he opened fire on the other Iron Man, who was in the middle of jumping at him. "Did you truly think I was going to fall for that trick again?"

"I... Had my hopes up." The third Iron Man said, his chest full of blaster holes.

"We both know that the other two suits weren't spares," Noh-Varr said, putting his foot on Iron Man's chest. "You're transferring your mind from suit to suit, aren't you?"

"Didn't expect you to figure it out," Iron Man admitted.

"How many suits do you have here?" Noh-Varr asked.

"Too many for you to defeat," Iron Man answered.

"I doubt that," Noh-Varr brought his guns to Iron Man's head, and fired. Turning, he ripped apart the second suit, which was still just standing behind him.

"You could be right," A fourth Iron Man suit said, flying up to him. "One by one, you could destroy all of my suits. But I can control more than one suit at a time."

Immediately, fifty suits flew up from behind him, and surrounded the Protector.

"You see, brother?" The Collector said, facing the Grandmaster. "I have chosen the better hero, by far."

The Grandmaster simply watched in silence, though a slight smile did grace his mouth.

At the moment, The Protector was too preocuppied fighting for his life to pay much attention to the Grandmaster's facial features. Struggling underneath a pile of suits, he managed to get out a few words: " If you're... Really a... hero, why are you working with villains?"

"Nice try, kid," Came a voice from the pile above him. "I've been at this superhero thing for too long to fall for something like that."

"I tell the truth," Noh-Varr replied. "I have travelled through countless universes. These things are my specialty. That Hulk on your team, I believe he was called the Maestro? He's a dictator on his Earth. Many have been enslaved by him. There is even a rebellion against his reign, led by one Rick Jones."

Immediately, the suits piled off him, and one of them offered him a hand up. "What else do you know about these teammates of mine?"

"What are you doing, you idiot?" The Maestro bellowed from the back of the arena. "He's obviously lying! It's a trick!"

"No, Maestro," Iron Man replied. "I don't think it is. Now, about the others..."

"Let me see," Noh-Varr said, clicking on a device on his wrist. "It should say here..."

He fidgeted with the device for a few minutes, pressing buttons and inserting commands, until Iron Man grew impatient. "What's taking so long?"

"My apologies," Noh-Varr clicked one last button. "These things take some time."

"Well...?"

"You are now under my complete control," The Protector gestured around. "All of you."

"What are you talking about?" Iron Man asked. "I'm the one who's in-" He suddenly stopped. "I can't move my suit. I can't move any of them! How did you...?"

"It was fairly simple, actually. I hacked the suits of the Iron Man that I know not too long ago. Your suits were no harder. That device of mine was not an information provider, it was a hacking device. Now, I believe you'll be joining me on my team's side of the arena."

He flew over to join his teammates, the Iron Man suits following him.

"The better hero, eh brother?" The Grandmaster asked, his smile more obvious.

"Nice job," The Human Torch congratulated.

"I'm glad you think so, Torch," The Collector boomed. "Because you will fight next!"


End file.
